the labor relations

Resource usage efficiency. Employees learn the different techniques and processes that are important in avoiding waste during the course of their everyday operations. As a result, delegating the task for deciding shift preferences or overtime assignments to a more senior employee would facilitate efficient resource distribution (Bure& Racz, 2016). A professional with 40 years of experience, for example, will manage money more effectively than an intern who joined the organization last year.
Keeping a strategic advantage in the market. In today's hypercompetitive business environment, businesses must constantly reinvent to provide consumers with an unparalleled experience (Bure& Racz, 2016). The senior people in a firm need to be at the center of designing and implementing a firm’s strategy since they have the drive, passion, and determination that is vital in gaining and maintaining a competitive advantage (Marchington et al., 2016).

Boosting productivity. Senior managers are usually more in touch with the organizational goals, and therefore, when assigned the role of overseeing shift preference and overtime assignments, they will ensure that the production and operations department meet the goals of the aggregate production plans hence steering the firm towards its vision (Bureš& Racz, 2016).

This system inspires employee loyalty. By assigning the longest-serving employees the responsibility of determining shift preferences and overtime assignments, a firm would be communicating to the other employees that the longer they serve at the company, the more likely they are to assume desirable roles in the organization (Ohashi & Matsushige,2016). This is an excellent strategy to inspire employee loyalty, and as well, it illustrates that the company values the talent that has been nurtured within the organization.

Disadvantages in Using Seniority as a Factor to Determine Shift Preference or Overtime Assignments



Not all senior employees are productive. The preference for senior employees to determine shift preference is usually based on the assumption that senior employees are productive and committed to seeing the company realize its strategic objectives (Ohashi & Matsushige,2016). However, this is not always the case, and if the employee is not passionate about achieving organizational goals, the company will lose its competitiveness, and the output will decline sharply.

High employee turnover. Most young people at the bottom of the career ladder are overly ambitious, and if they realize that they have to stay at the company for a long time before climbing the corporate ladder, they might decide to look for better opportunities (Bureš& Racz, 2016). The result is high employee turnover leading to expenses such as the cost of recruiting and training new employees. Furthermore, low employee retention is likely to cause fluctuations in the output of a firm hence adversely affecting operational efficiency (Armstrong & Taylor,2014).

Limited options for handling a task. Entrusting the roles of determining shift preference to a senior manager limits the alternatives available to handle various tasks. It is noteworthy to state that every task is unique meaning that it requires a different approach and methodology (Ohashi & Matsushige,2016). Given that most senior officers are not well acquainted with operational processes in the organization, they might not have the various skills set which are vital to accomplish different tasks.

The model might demotivate employees. Assigning a senior manager the role of determining shift preferences and overtime assignments might strike the employees as the firm’s attempt to micromanage them hence sparking animosity and opposition from the staff (Marchington et al., 2016). Also, the employees might interprate it as the organization’s unwillingness to devolve and delegate power to lower level managers hence demotivating employees.

Question Two

Before assembling at the negotiation table with union representatives, it is imperative for a company to undertake pre-negotiation activities to equip itself with information that will be instrumental in arriving at an agreeable contract. Some of the two most important pre-negotiation activities include:

Generating data.

Development of the employers’ strategies.

Generating Data



This process involves obtaining factual information about various aspects of employees’ working conditions and remuneration. For instance, the negotiators should be aware of the average weekly hours, the number of departments in the organization, chronology of the key labor costs such as health insurance and pensions as well as an account of the base and average wage rates for the last 15 years (Chan & Hui, 2014). Besides, the HR professional should have accurate data regarding description of each job and information on paid leave for employees. Furthermore, the human resource manager should research the industry to establish the average rates and benefits of employees working in other firms (Kavanagh & Johnson, 2017). Accurate data on wages and benefits is crucial since it ensures that the negotiation talks remain objective and realistic hence contributing to successful outcomes through providing the negotiating team with comparisons (Calveley, 2017). Additionally, it is beneficial for the HR practitioner in the negotiating team to collect data on the benefits, wages and critical considerations used in negotiations by other players in the industry (Bova, 2013). This is because the information could be used as a guide while negotiating a successful contract. Furthermore, the HR professional might bump on innovative practices used by negotiating teams in the industry hence facilitating the development of an agreement.

Development of Employer’s Strategies

This step involves identifying the objectives for the negotiations. For instance, the company’s management prepares the background data and all the arguments necessary to support the proposals. Besides, the company comes up with a rough timetable with the stipulated start and completion dates (Postnikov & Bastiaens, 2014). At this stage also, the firm establishes the ranges for financial settlement and considers any special provisions. This step is crucial since it ensures that when the bargaining kicks off, the team has a time limit and therefore the need for both parties to establish common ground swiftly so that economic activities are not halted (Chan & Hui, 2014). Additionally, developing employer’s strategies leads to a draft meaning that when the parties convene to negotiate the agreement, they will not be starting from nowhere since the economic range established by the organization will act as a starting point.

Question Three

The major role of the government in industrial relations include:

Providing legal framework.

Acting as an arbitrator between employees and the employer.



Providing Legal Framework



The legal guidelines within which industrial relations must operate are established by the government or its agencies. The labor laws are developed in consultation with other stakeholders such as the employers and employees, and this is to ensure that there is common ground among the key stakeholders in the labor markets (Burchill, 2014). The legal framework could be for instance a limitation on the number of hours an employee should work per week or the minimum wage payable to a worker. For example, the United States Labor law outlines the duties and rights of employers, employees, and their unions while the Occupational Safety and Health Act promotes the safety and wellbeing of employees at the workplace (Vogt, 2014). Furthermore, the Family Leave Act requires companies with more than 50 employees to give their staff unpaid leave of up to 2 weeks per year to take care of a loved one or during the birth or adoption of a child (Zahn, 2017). Therefore, laws enacted by the government gives companies directions on grey areas such as the length of leave and whether that leave should be paid or unpaid. Clarifying on these issues is critical in fostering a cordial relationship between the employers and the employees.

The Government Acts as an Arbitrator Between the Employer and the Employees



Industrial relations harmony is of great importance to the government since it ensures that citizens are gainfully employed hence reducing the poverty index of a country and promoting economic prosperity. For this reason, the government can intervene directly or indirectly in the industrial relations process when negotiations go awry (Zahn, 2017). For instance, the state could become involved in resolving an industrial relations dispute in court. Furthermore, the government might mediate between the employers and the employees. To illustrate, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Governor Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire played a crucial role in negotiations between disgruntled employees of Market Basket and the company’s management (Korschun & Welker, 2015). In June 2014, the employees of Market Basket went on strike following the news that their CEO Arthur T Demoulus would be sacked by the board and it took the efforts of the government to harmonize the parties and broker a deal that safeguarded employees’ jobs and contributed to the long-term profitability of the supermarket (Wei, 2017). Therefore, the government can act as an arbitrator when negotiations between the employer and the employees have seem to bear any fruits.

































References

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Bova, F. (2013). Labor unions and management’s incentive to signal a negative outlook. Contemporary Accounting Research, 30(1), 14-41.

Burchill, F. (2014). Labour relations. Palgrave Macmillan.

Bureš, V., & Racz, F. (2016). Application of system archetypes in practice: an underutilised pathway to better managerial performance. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 17(6), 1081-1096.

Calveley, M. (2017). Learning with Trade Unions: A Contemporary Agenda in Employment Relations. Routledge.

Chan, C. K. C., & Hui, E. S. I. (2014). The dynamics and dilemma of workplace trade union reform in China: the case of Honda workers’ strike. In Strategies of Multinational Corporations and Social Regulations (pp. 203-217). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

Kavanagh, M. J., & Johnson, R. D. (Eds.). (2017). Human resource information systems: Basics, applications, and future directions. Sage Publications.

Korschun, D., & Welker, G. (2015). We are Market Basket: the story of the unlikely grassroots movement that saved a beloved business. New York: AMACOM, American Management Association

Marchington, M., Wilkinson, A., Donnelly, R., & Kynighou, A. (2016). Human resource management at work. Kogan Page Publishers.

Ohashi, I., & Matsushige, H. (2016). in the Japanese Seniority System. Labour Market and Economic Performance: Europe, Japan and the USA, 131.

Postnikov, E., & Bastiaens, I. (2014). Does dialogue work? The effectiveness of labor standards in EU preferential trade agreements. Journal of European public policy, 21(6), 923-940.

Wei, T. (2017). 6 The Changing Role of Government Towards Labour. The Emerging Industrial Relations of China, 112.

Vogt, J. S. (2014). Focus: Labour rights and trade: raising standards for workers?. International Union Rights, 21(3), 3-4.

Zahn, R. (2017). New Labour Laws in Old Member States: Trade Union Responses to European Enlargement. Cambridge University Press.